


Klaus Encounters

by p5ych3



Category: LoveLink (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Eventual Smut, F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:55:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28210518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p5ych3/pseuds/p5ych3
Summary: So if you're like me you've perhaps fallen a bit for our current holiday hottie and Santa heir, Nick Klaus. This story expands on Nick's background and brings him towards an eventual meeting with the MC. I promise there will be plot and fun but also enough squishy (and smutty) romance to fill your needs.
Relationships: Nick Klaus/MC
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue/Chapter 1: June 18th

**Author's Note:**

> Every snowball starts small, gaining size as it rolls down the hill. That's how this story will go. I'm not offering you instant romance from the start, but hopefully this is a bit of extra Nick love you need. Don't worry though, good things come to those who wait.

**Prologue**

_The man paced back and forth, stroking his beard as he looked at the woman laying in the bed. “We should have just stopped at 11.” He mumbled, stopping so he could take her hand again, bringing a cloth to her sweaty brow. He gave her a smile before his blue eyes moved to the elf standing at the foot of the bed. The doctor’s forehead was creased and the look was one that caused the man concern._

  
_“Everything is fine, Nick.” His wife said gently. “And we couldn’t stop at 11. None of them have the Spirit.” Always level headed, that was his Kristina. She never stressed, never let him get too in his head or overwhelmed._

  
_Dr. Thistle looked up again. “One more push.”_

  
_Even now, after hours of this, she still mustered the strength to follow the doctor’s order. He could feel the strength in her grip on his hand and he was so proud of her. With a groan of pain she gave that last push._

  
_An awkward moment of silence took over before it was suddenly broken by the cry of a newborn taking its first breath. As the cry came out of the child, a brush of magic filled the room. Everyone inside the clinic room could feel it, but so could everyone else in the workshop and throughout the village. The heir had finally come. “We’ll call him Nick.”_

**June 18th: North Pole**

Nick ran his fingers through his silver white hair, sliding a hand down Blitzen’s leg, looking for any of the heat he’d felt the day prior. He looked over at Noelle and Noel. “I think he’s good. You did a great job.” It seemed strange sometimes, that his older siblings would look to him for validation but he was the heir. Still, the twins (children number 10 and 11) were the ones in charge of the reindeer and they did an incredible job with it. Still, for some reason he had to sign off on these things. You’d think, after 50 or so years he’d be used to it but maybe one never got used to those things. 

  
He stood up, stretching. Was he getting any sleep? He wasn’t sure. It was summer, meaning that the sun stretched on endlessly. Add to that the magic of the place and it was hard to know the passing of time. Granted he always knew exactly how much time was left until Christmas. 190 days. “Hey.” Noelle stepped forward, brushing back her blond hair. Actual blond, not the white of his own. All of his siblings had hair that could be considered “normal.” It was just him, as the heir who had those signature white locks. Part of the Christmas Spirit.

  
He looked over at his sister and frowned slightly. “Yeah?”

  
“You’re doing a great job. Just remember some of us know this is tough on you and don’t resent you.” She nudged her twin and Noel looked over at him, slightly startled.   
“We don’t. We’re not all like Jack.” 

  
“Thanks guys. I appreciate that.” Nick answered honestly. “Alright I gotta go but I’ll see you at dinner or something.” It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the sentiment it was just that they could never understand what it was like. He was alone in his responsibilities. Each of them got to spend time in the real world, got to go places, see and understand the world. They had days off, despite it being a family business. But not Nick. Even know, Spriggan, his Elven assistant, was tapping his toe, wondering why they were wasting time on chit-chat when he had other things to get to. Always things to do.

**June 18: Wilmington, NC**

Avery dropped her apron in the bin and reached in the locker for her purse. A piece of auburn hair fell in her eyes and she sighed, cursing the heat. Sometimes North Carolina just got way too hot. She fixed her hair as she walked out of the coffee shop she worked at, right on the Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington. It was a place more people had seen than they realized, having been the setting of more than one popular tv show. Still, it was a wonderful, historic small town and she’d lived there her whole life. One of the other barista’s, Emily, had also finished her shift. She’d asked Avery to wait for her but honestly, she was just too tired. “Avery! Wait up!” 

  
But Avery kept walking, pretending not to hear. She had to fake it all day at work, the smiles, the being nice to people that she didn’t actually want to talk to. Hell, she’d dealt with Emily running her mouth for the entire time she worked. Seriously, the girl didn’t stop talking. Ever. And she managed to talk about absolutely nothing. Seriously, no one could blame Avery for being annoyed, could they? And wasn’t feigning deafness way less rude than flat out saying “go away” or something?

  
But then she heard the pounding of feet on pavement behind her. How did she have so much energy? They had started work at 4 am. All Avery wanted was a nap but apparently Emily could still run. “Hey! You didn’t hear me!” 

  
Avery took a beat before turning to the other girl. “Sorry, I guess I just dazed off.” Little lie, but again, it spared her feelings.

  
“I was supposed to show you that app we talked about, remember?” The blond bounced on her toes excitedly. 

  
Avery did not, in fact, remember. She didn’t actually listen much to what she said. “Right yeah of course.” White lie number two. 

  
The other girl pulled out her own phone opening a…dating app? “It’s called Lovelink. And the people I’ve met are fun and good to talk to and a lot of them are really hot. It’s awesome. You can meet guys or girls and the more you talk you get like relationship points and earn status updates and stuff. So the guy I’m going out with on Friday is someone I met on here. And I just thought, well Avery is super pretty but she doesn’t date so maybe she just doesn’t know how to meet people and I should tell her about the app.” 

  
Words were being spoken, they were apparently in English, but even so it was really hard to make out what those words were. Wait, she understood some of them. Enough to know the other girl wanted to download a dating app. Avery stopped walking, just freezing in place. Emily kept right on walking, only stopping after she’d crossed the street, the street Avery was now in the middle of. The don’t walk sign came on and those at the stoplight began to hit their horns. She lifted her hand, showing off a choice finger to the driver as she resumed making her way across. She wasn’t a bad person, she just was overworked and stressed out. She sat down on the bench outside the small restaurant on the street, deciding she might feel a little bit better if she got off of her overly tired feet. She’d regret this choice when she stood back up. “A dating app?”

  
A giggle escaped the lips of the other girl. “Exactly. Look at this guy I’m meeting. And seriously it’s great like no one was tried to send me unsolicited dick pics or anything. Give me your phone, we’ll sign you up.” 

  
The next thing Avery knew, the other girl had pulled her phone out of her hand. She held it up to Avery’s face, unlocking it without Avery’s help. Stupid face recognition. She had two choices here, throw a fit or just let it happen. One of those too effort so she decided instead to just let it happen. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the side of the building and grunting answers at the other girl when she asked for input. After what felt like forever, the phone was being put back in her hand. “Thanks.” See, she could be polite.

  
“Happy swiping! I can’t wait to see who you match with.” Emily let out another squeal and jumped up, waving far too quickly. So. Much. Energy.

  
Avery decided to stick with just grunting in return and slowly dragged herself to her feet, making her way back home. It was hot, she was tired, but her apartment was just the perfectly terrible distance away. Too close to drive, but just far enough that the walk was annoying in the summer heat. Also in the winter cold. Fortunately, Wilmington got to experience all four seasons so half the year it really wasn’t bad. 

  
She reached home, looking longingly at her bed before making herself take a shower first instead. She smelled like old coffee and despite how great the stuff smelled hot, it smelled terrible on one’s clothing. The nap would have to wait.

**June 18: North Pole**

_~~Bored~~ Board Meeting. June the 18th._ Though he knew he’d spelled it correctly on the top of his steno pad, Nick couldn’t help but think that really it should be spelled “bored” meeting because that was what he was. During the summer they only really met every two to three weeks, which was far better than the hectic nature brought by winter and the approach of Christmas time. The good news was, in this many of his siblings had to suffer with him. He took his seat to the right of his father at the long oval table, waiting as the head elves of different departments filtered in. Jack, his eldest brother, didn’t even bother to meet his eyes as he headed to his seat on the left of their father. Everything about him oozed with resentment towards his younger brother. He dropped into his chair with an ease that Nick himself would never be able to muster. 

  
Finally, his father arrived. Santa, real name Nick as well, was a very large man. He did not have the round belly that the stories told of, he just was overall a very imposing size. His sparkling blue eyes and the smile that lit his face, along with his round rosy cheeks all worked together to make only his size imposing. Everything else about him showed the joy that he carried inside of him, his own Christmas Spirit. Being around him stirred Nick’s own Spirit, his magic dancing in answer to the presence of its progenitor. It made Nick smile, despite his own tiredness. The whole table rose to their feet in deference to their leader, though Jack did so slowly, barely making it all the way up before sliding back into his chair again. That rankled Nick far more than his brother’s opposition to his own position. Their father was an incredible man and certainly above any disdain or reproach. 

  
“If you could bring in the lunch trays please.” Santa asked the elf by the door. Her name was Poppy and she was one of the head kitchen elves. Nick wished that knowing the names of everyone around him was due to him being the kind of person that truly paid attention to everyone he met, but really it was just a skill that came with the Spirit. He did think he did a good job listening though. “Now, let’s hear the reports. Jack, any news to report from the Village?”

  
Nick himself was aware that things were pretty great in the village, which they generally were. The elves were a happy bunch, treated very well and all able to work and progress and find jobs within the North Pole, either in or out of the workshop. Jack’s job as “mayor” was really quite easy and they all knew it. That said, he was also in charge of Snow, though this time of year, even in the colder southern hemisphere, there just wasn’t much to be had. “The village is happy and content, the improvements to the infrastructure that you finally approved to expand outwards are underway and will hopefully allow for another 50 to 100 years of population growth. Obviously we have only a few months to get them done, despite the request being submitted months ago, but we’ll work something out.” 

  
It was almost as if Nick’s own magic recoiled at the venom in Jack’s words. His face kept a cool, calm expression but certainly no one could miss his intent. To his credit, Santa just nodded and moved to the next. Nick continued to make notes, most things going along normally and without incident. They usually did this time of year. Noelle was able to report that Blitzen’s strain was healing well. Yule, sibling number 7, was able to report that coal production was to plan while Paxton, sibling number 3, went over some charts with trend forecasting for the upcoming winter months. Truthfully, everything seemed to be going very well it seemed and Nick only made minimal notes on his pad. 

  
Carol rose to her feet from her spot to his right. The second oldest, Carol took on a lot of responsibility around the workshop. Before Nick had been born, she carried out a lot of the duties he now had. Once he came of age, she was moved to a new position, handling the naughty and nice list. “We’re about 5% higher this year on the naughty list so far and it seems to be increasing each day. Every year we’ve seen a small increase but it’s starting to get alarming in my opinion.” 

  
“I’m sure it’s fine. This time of year, summer vacation, kids get into trouble. As we get closer to Christmas they’ll behave and do things to earn their way back onto the nice list.” Santa said with a soft laugh. “Mark my words, it will sort itself out.”

  
Carol’s lips narrowed into a thin line. Clearly she had more to say but instead, she just took her seat. Nick glanced at her and then wrote on the bottom of his sheet. I’ll come talk to you when we’re done. Show me what you’re seeing? I’ll try to help.

  
Her eyes skimmed his sheet and she gave him a nod of assent. He was at least a step in the right direction for her and she knew it. Carol didn’t resent him like Jack, though really she had far more right to than their older brother. She didn’t always have patience or his mistakes or the fact that he was still learning, though and that was frustrating to him.

  
From the opposite end of the table, Kristina Klaus rose to her feet. “I have something I wanted to address, if I may?”

  
Santa’s eyes gave a twinkle at the sight of his wife. “Of course my love.”

  
“Nick should be allowed to spend time among those on Earth. All his siblings had had at least three rotations by the time they were his age and he should be allowed to see what’s out there.”

  
A shot of happiness warmed all of Nick’s lean frame as he heard his mother, his heart skipping madly. Could he? He wanted to go among the people so much but something always came up. Maybe this year though? Star and Cane (4&5) were on their rotations currently but surely he could go, too? He glanced hopefully at his father, his own face falling as he saw the regret etched over that normally jolly face.

  
“You know we’d love to let him, but now isn’t a good time. He still has so much to learn and he’s getting into the routine. Maybe in another decade or so.” Santa reached out to pat his son’s hand. “You understand, of course?”

  
He made himself smile back at the man. “Of course father, when it’s the right time, we’ll both know.”


	2. June 22

**June 22nd: Wilmington, NC**

Finally a day off of work. Avery allowed herself to “sleep-in” until 8 am before urgent bladder needs dragged her out of bed. Ugh. Not fair. After taking care of business she stripped down for a shower, pausing as she saw herself in the mirror. There were thick shadows under her stormy gray eyes and she noticed her face wasn’t quite as full as she was used to it being. She took a step back and took in the sight of her body. The softness had disappeared and she realized she was bordering too skinny. She needed to fix that. Forgetting to eat was probably half the reason she was so tired and grumpy all the time. Letting out a sigh she stepped into the shower, letting it wake her up. 

A cup of coffee and some clothing later and she was ready to head out. Relaxing wasn’t a thing in Avery’s world. Not really. Driving through the stony streets of downtown, she eventually pulled out of the area, almost on autopilot as she navigated towards the Magnolia Blossom Nursing Home. She hated that she couldn’t get over here more often. It was only 20 minutes away but with work it sometimes seemed an insurmountable distance. 

Her Grandmother had been the one to raise her and Avery owed her everything. Her mother had been very young when she got pregnant and the father hadn’t bothered to stick around. Apparently the young girl brought her baby to meet her mother and then disappeared, leaving behind Avery and some papers with her own signature on them to transfer all rights to her mother. Thankfully the woman had stepped up to the challenge and Avery was never lacking love a child deserved. There were a few times that Avery received cards or letters from her mother but for the most part she never thought about or missed the woman that birthed her. When Avery was 12, they received news that her mother had passed away from an accidental overdose. The young girl had seen a counselor about it but truly had no real grief. Why be sad about a woman she didn’t know? 

After graduating high school, she decided to attend UNCW in Wilmington itself, not wanting to leave behind her home or her only piece of family. Right before final year of school, however, her grandmother had a fall. It was just a fractured hip but the reason behind the fall worried the doctor. She’s been outside at nighttime and seemed to have fallen down the street from her house and couldn’t remember why she’d even been out there. Tests were done and she was diagnosed with early stages of dementia. 

Though it wasn’t what her grandmother wanted, Avery took time off of school so she could take care of her grandmother. She moved back into the house and became a full time nurse and caregiver. Eventually it became too much and the doctors recommended she be out in a nursing home. Reluctantly Avery had done so. She sold her grandmother’s house and the money from the sale was enough to take care of the expenses for a couple of years but it slowly started to run out. Avery ran herself ragged working to pay for her grandmother’s care, spending almost nothing on herself. 

Because she worked so hard she rarely had time to visit the woman. Sadly, she didn’t usually remember if her granddaughter had been there or not. Still, it killed Avery to think of the woman lonely. So she worked at the coffee shop, did online transcription, delivered food and did rides for Uber and Lyft. Anything she could do to pay for her grandmother’s expenses. 

It was a lot but Avery had no regrets. Her grandmother had given her everything and she wouldn’t hesitate to give everything back. Still, she took a moment to steel herself before she entered the nursing home, not letting any trace of sadness on her face. She could do this. 

**June 22: North Pole**

Nick stood at the assembly line, conducting a random audit of the toys being sent down it. They were all perfect. They always were. But here at the North Pole they took quality control very seriously, especially once his sister Holly (number 9) had taken it over. Holly was rather a perfectionist and while it drove him crazy at times, he truly appreciated her hard work. The same couldn’t be said to be reciprocal. She always looked down on him, treating him as a child and speaking to him in the most condescending of tones. He had to work hard to keep his smile, even with the Spirit flowing through him. He was very grateful when Spriggan tapped his shoulder lightly. “You have your meeting with Carol in five minutes, we should head that way now.”

That brought a genuine smile to the Boyd’s face and he turned to Holly. “You heard him, I have to be elsewhere but honestly you’re doing wonderful.”

His sister tugged at a golden corkscrew of hair, pulling it down and letting it spring back up. “So glad to have your approval, Nick. Whatever would any of us do without you here to oversee everything?” The saccharine tone made his head hurt but he let it go. He always let it go. Nick wasn’t one to stand up for himself. It led to fighting and he didn’t like that at all. 

“Thank you for making time for me!” He replied, not even a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Perhaps if he wasn’t always so accepting of the reactions he wouldn’t garner the negativity so much. He wasn’t going to change because of them. 

He stepped into the elevator with Spriggan, grateful for the technological advancements all around the workshop. How anyone could ever imagine Santa to be fat with the amount of running around they all had to do, Nick couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t imagine how it had been for her father before things like elevators and moving sidewalks had come about. But then, there was probably less needed back then. He paused just a moment to get an iced peppermint mocha from the coffee cart, making sure to tip generously. Caffeine, he needed it. Spirit took him far but coffee and sugar helped him keep going. Thankfully, Carol’s office had chairs. Comfortable ones in front of a really nice fireplace, which was off since it was summer. 

“You brought me coffee? You’re always so thoughtful, Nicky.” From some of the others, that would be a way to get under his skin, but Carol called him Nicky without condescension. 

He glanced lovingly at the brew in his hand and then held it out to her. “You seemed like you needed it.” It was his own fault. He was thoughtful so why hadn’t he gotten her one, too? It wasn’t like him to only think of himself. “Alright so can you show me some of the numbers you’re talking about and any trends you’ve picked up on so far?” He asked her, taking a seat and pulling out his steno pad to take some notes. He trusted Carol. If she said there was a problem, chances were there was one. 

“What?” Carol quickly set her phone aside. “Sorry I was answering a text message.” Her cheeks were colored and Nick grinned. 

“From Peeeeetttteeerrrr?” He teased, drawing out the name. Carol had just finished up a rotation in the real world and had met a very nice man in Sweden. She was the first of them to be falling in love and all the siblings agreed they were interested in how it would be handled. 

Carol grinned at him, blushing. “Yes, from Peter. Father is going to take time to come meet him. Maybe you can come?”

The white haired boy’s face lit up for a moment before falling. “No, if father is going I have to be here. But maybe another time.” 

Looks could say a lot and Carol’s look conveyed a lot of pity for her youngest brother but also helplessness. She knew there was nothing anyone could do to change their father’s mind if even their mother couldn’t. So she’s do her best to try to show him that they wished things were different, whatever good that did. To Nick it did a lot though. It helped having people in your corner, even if their support couldn’t change things. “Alright, let me show you what I’m seeing.”

**June 22: Wilmington, NC**

Emotions were a painful thing. Avery cherished every second she spent with her grandmother but it also hurt so badly at the same time. Today the woman didn’t recognize her at all, asking if she were a volunteer. It was easier to just go with things and so she’d said yes, nearly crying as the woman told her she reminded her of her granddaughter. 

She’d gone home and allowed herself a little cry before sitting down to do some online work. She wasn’t in the mood for people and didn’t trust herself not to randomly cry driving around. As evening fell all she wanted was to forget about life for awhile. She looked at her phone and unlocked it, pausing only a moment before opening the app that Emily had forced on her. She was quickly presented with some pictures, swiping no on the first couple of them before laying eyes on a tattooed blond man who looked like trouble. She could use some trouble. This one she swiped to the right and mere moments later got a pop up telling her it was a match. 

  * _Why, hello there._



It was more than just hey so she’d give him that at least. Half the reason she stopped using dating apps was due to that stupid low-effort "hey" most men used.

  * _Your tattoos are amazing._



She replied back. They were and they were what caught her eye about him. That and the troublesome twinkle in his eye. 

  * _Haha thanks. They’re definitely the first thing people notice on my profile._
  * _Can’t imagine why ;)_
  * _You’re just one of those people who just says what’s on their mind, huh? Lol_
  * _I am. Is that a problem?_
  * _No, I like it. It’s hard to find people who speak their mind these days. So in return I’ll speak mine with you. You’re fucking hot._
  * _Thanks. You are too._
  * _I know. ;) so what’s a girl like you doing on here._
  * _Probably the same thing as you are. I want to forget and you seem like you could help me do that._
  * _What, no love? No boyfriend hunting?_
  * _Buy me some drinks and then if you haven’t annoyed me you can take me somewhere and fuck me. Sound good to you?_
  * _Sounds perfect. You know Lenny’s? It’s mainly a biker bar?_
  * _I do. See you at 7._



So it was reckless but sometimes when the world is too much, reckless was what a girl needed. Some days it was just too hard to care about her own well-being. She’s been honest with Blaine, no wait Blake was it? She wanted to forget. 

A few hours later, as he fucked her on the bathroom sink at a noisy bar while she was drunk out of her mind, she finally relaxed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist the small cameo! Hope you keep enjoying.


	3. July 4th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things are about to get a little smutty...just note quite yet for the darling couple we're waiting for!

**July 4th: North Pole**

It was sweltering out. It had actually reached 2 degrees Celsius that afternoon and everyone around the village was feeling it. Global Warming. They really needed to start researching that further. Weather was really Jack’s domain though. As Jack Frost he was responsible for the snowfall. It should never be too warm at the North Pole for snow. Nick peeled off his shirt, needing to cool down some. This couldn’t be good for the reindeer either. He knew what he had to do.   
Santa’s office was at the top of the workshop, overlooking the village. Most couldn’t head straight up there but Nick had full clearance. His father would know that he was heading up and they’d turn him away if he couldn’t make time. The thing was, Nick was going to wait in the waiting room until his father agreed to see him. He would put his foot down. He might not be one to stand up for himself but he certainly would stand up for everyone else. 

  
He had needlessly worked up his courage though, when he got there his assistant, Pumpernickel, just gave Nick a big smile. “He’s waiting for you.” 

  
“Oh. Thank you.” He gave a small knock and then opened the door to Santa’s office, his breath leaving him at the view of the village down below and the endless snow. One day this would be his office. Would he even have time to appreciate the view or would it become part of the scenery, taken for granted? He hoped to never take anything for granted.

  
Santa gave him a curious look, knowing his son well enough to see that something was on Nick’s mind but the most burning question was not about that. “Why is your shirt off?”

  
Any wind left in Nick’s sails immediately retreated. It was hard to take a stand when you walked in shirtless. He looked down at himself and felt his cheeks color a rosy red. “I was warm. You know clothes aren’t my favorite.” He had always had problems wearing clothing. As a child he’d just tear them off and run around naked. It was a thing. But he tugged his shirt over his head. “But that’s part of why I’m here. Dad, it’s hot out! It’s hit 2 degrees out there! Above freezing. We need to talk to Jack about this. His role as Frost means he should be doing something about this.” Nick kept his voice level but it was clear that there was passion in his words.

  
Santa leaned stood up, walking over to the window and looking outside. “You may be right.” The older man, slid a hand over his close cropped silver beard, his most common nervous action. “Jack has had a hard time of it these last few years since you’ve come into your role as my heir. As a result, I wanted to give him some space, not be so much of a micro manager. But if he’s not doing his job then perhaps it’s been a bit too much space.” The man frowned deeply, a look that just seemed wholly unnatural on his face. It was just wrong to see. 

  
Nick understood that his father loved all his children deeply. He understood that he wanted to support each of them and stand by them and do what he could to make them happy. And he understood that that sort of empathy was important for any leader. “Good.” Nick stood up, ready to head out but then his father gave him a look that made him realize he had to sit and stay. He watched his father pick up the phone and tell Pumpernickel to send Jack to his office. This was going to be awkward but he needed to be there for the tough conversations if he was going to one day be the man having them. Firm but nice, that was how his father did things and it was a skill he needed to learn more about.

**July 4th: Wilmington, NC**

The 4th of July was perhaps one of Avery’s favorite days of the year. Each year there was a huge celebration downtown on the Riverwalk and fireworks were set off by the Battleship NC across the river. She had plans to meet up with some of her school friends, people she’d been ignoring for ages. It was hard seeing your friends moving forward with their lives while you were stuck. It wasn’t that Avery had regrets, she didn’t. She made a choice she had to make for the only family she had. Occasionally though, there was envy at the lightness with which the others flitted through life. That they could go out to eat at a restaurant or go shopping and not even blink about it. This led her to avoid them a lot of the time, not wanting that resentment to how on her face. She just didn’t want to be that person. 

  
She was dressed casually, in shorts and a $5 American Flag tank top she’d picked up at Old Navy. It was a hot day and already she could feel herself sweating but she was looking forward to just one day of true fun and relaxation. A day to be an Avery she barely remembered.

  
There were people everywhere but she could hear the familiar voices and laughter ringing out above the rest. When you cared about someone that was how it was, even if you hadn’t seen them in awhile you could feel their spirit. She headed over, happy to see the group of people. Guilt immediately washed over her for her neglecting of that bond. They deserved better and she needed to work on it. She would work on it. 

  
“Hey!” She called, almost surprised at the pep in her own voice. It was a tone she hadn’t heard in awhile. She reached out, distributing hugs among the group. 

  
“You look tired.” Shaina noted, eyes flicking over Avery. A nudge immediately came from Maxwell, her boyfriend. “What? She does.”

  
Avery just laughed, shrugging. “Yeah, you should see me without the makeup. Then it gets really scary.” She laughed.

  
“See, she’s not bothered. She knows how I am.” Shaina shrugged her shoulders, brown waves bouncing like the beauty queen she had been when they were younger. It was to that which Avery ascribed her friend’s need to point out other’s flaws. There was no reason to be bothered by it because she didn’t mean it to hurt and, furthermore, Avery knew she was right. She did look tired. “Honey go buy us some BBQ please.” She batted her lashes at Max who grabbed one of the other guys and headed for one of the vendors set up. “Seriously though, are you okay? You’ve lost a lot of weight. Your boobs are smaller even.”

  
This was why Avery didn’t get mad at the quips. Shaina really was a caring girl. She just said what was on her mind. Avery thought about how to answer. “Well I think you look great.” Sara Beth, better known as SB to the group, piped up. “You’ve always been skinny and honestly you look like model skinny now. I’m jealous. I’m a cow.”  
Avery looked over at SB, watching the waif-like girl pinch at non existent fat, and raised an eyebrow. “Model skinny isn’t really a good thing. I think you’re telling me I need a sandwich and I agree.” 

  
“Well I think you look great.” The male voice came from behind her and was only vaguely familiar. “And I’d know wouldn’t I?”

  
Turning, Avery’s eyes fell on her tattooed paramour from her night of weakness. “Blake.”

  
“Avery. Can we talk? Somewhere else?”

  
He looked...well good would be an understatement. He had on jeans which must be really hot in this weather, but he wore a wife beater on top that was tight enough you could see the ripple of his abs under it. Avery’s tongue slid against her bottom lip. He really was hot. She’d thought her beer goggles had maybe made that up. “Yeah for sure. Ladies I’ll be right back.”

  
He didn’t reach for her hand or anything like that, just walked in front of her as they headed away from the crowd. “You didn’t text me again.” He noted. 

  
“Neither did you.”

  
“I never do. Women come to me begging for more orgasms. You didn’t. Why not?” He led her down the street, not seeming bothered about if she could keep up or not. 

  
Avery had to laugh at that. This cocky fuck. “I don’t beg for anything. And I got what I wanted from you. I didn’t know there was an expectation of follow-up.” 

  
“Huh. I wonder if this is what women feel like when I blow them off.” Blake stopped in front of a tattoo parlor that Avery had seen a few times. She didn’t have a tattoo but knew this place had a reputation for being clean and doing great pieces. Like most businesses it was closed for the festivities. Blake pulled a set of keys from his pocket, unlocking the door. “I think I didn’t properly get to show off my skills in the confined space. Or that the alcohol may have clouded it for you.” He waited for her to walk in and then closed and locked the door behind them. Then that right shirt was being drawn up and over his head. “I don’t usually do this but I think that calls for a round two.” 

  
His body was impressive but Avery wasn’t sure about this. She usually had a no sex during daytime rule. Plus her friends would be waiting for her. He leaned in, lips pressing against her neck as warm hands slid up her back. “How about you at least let me go down on you and we go from there?” Deft fingers were already unbuttoning her shorts and she let it happen, allowing him to pull her back to that place where she didn’t have to think. He picked her up, carrying her to a tattooing chair and sitting her down on it, her bottom half fully naked. He started to slowly kiss his way down her body but she found herself urging his head downwards. “Naughty girl.” He laughed. 

  
She felt totally wanton on that chair, his head between her thighs. His tongue slid against her, dancing figure eights against her clit. His fingers pushed inside of her and she felt her body clamp down in response. He paused for a moment, glancing up at her. “When you cum I’m going to fuck you.” He noted, and she nodded before realizing he was asking for consent. 

  
“Condom?” He pulled it out and showed it to her. “Then yes. Now please go back to what you were doing.” 

  
He let out a soft laugh. “I guess you do beg.” He teased with a wink before getting back to work. 

  
He clearly was a master of his craft and she came loudly, something a bit out of the ordinary for her. Before she’d even come down from her orgasm he was in her, stretching out the ride long enough to make her see spots. Finally he reached his own peak, thrusting and holding deep inside of her. “Fuck.” Avery whispered. 

  
“We just did.” Carefully he pulled out of her, turning away to remove and toss the common. “Don’t stand up, you will probably fall. I’ll get you a towel to clean up.” 

  
Avery lay back in the chair, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes closed a moment and she must have drifted off because she woke to a warm wet cloth between her legs. “Sorry. Guess that took a lot out of me.”

  
“No problem. It happens.” He shrugged, handing her her shorts. “We should head back before your friends think I kidnapped you.”

  
She went to tug her shorts in but stopped. “Um, where are my panties?” 

  
He laughed, shaking his head. “Nope those are mine now.” She had a feeling resistance would be futile so she buttoned up and grabbed her purse. 

  
“Okay well thank you for the orgasm. I really need to get back to my friends.” 

  
“I need to clean this up first. I’ll see you around. Text me if you’re bored.”

  
Avery’s only response was a laugh as she headed back to the group. It only took them one look at her to know what she’d been up to. “You total slut!” Shawna squealed, handing her a BBQ sandwich. “O.M.G. Tell me everything.” 

  
For a moment Avery considered lying but what was the point? They’d see right through her. So instead she shrugged. “Sometimes you need a buddy to handle your needs.” She replied before taking a big bite of her sandwich so she wouldn’t have to talk more. 

  
“Is he your boyfriend?” 

  
Avery nearly choked on her food and quickly shook her head. Once she’d swallowed she shot SB a look. “You all know I don’t date. No he’s not my boyfriend. He’s a guy I’ve now fucked twice.”

  
SB though about this, twirling a piece of blonde hair around her finger. “But he could be-"

  
“Not all of us need the validation of a man in our life.” Avery snapped, instantly regretting her words. “Sorry. Can someone hand me a beer? This is supposed to be a party.”

**July 4th: North Pole**

Nick had a headache. He needed sugar and eyes the candy jar on his fathers desk. It would likely be inappropriate to grab a handful now while this standoff was happening but he could really use some sugar. “I am in charge of my domain and I don’t see what concern it is if yours what I do! You’re upset about nothing.” Jack waved a dismissive hand at their father. 

“Your _job_ ,” Santa emphasized his own word choice to make his point, “is to be a member of this family and contribute to the overall well-being of the cause, Jack!”

  
“The cause?” Jack scoffed, disdain showing on his face. It hurt Nick, feeling the naughtiness rolling off his own brother. He knew it had to be worse for their father. Naughtiness was like a poison to the Spirit, eating away at it. “Yes, your precious Christmas Spirit. Prioritizing the happiness of children you don’t even know. All while their parents give themselves the credit since they refuse to believe in you!”

  
“We do not do this for credit.” Santa’s voice pitched deeply and Nick could see that these last comments had definitely gotten under his skin. “You don’t think if we wanted we could make the magic force everyone to believe? People have free will, Jack. They have to want to believe.”

  
There was that scoff again. Possibly the most grating sound in the world. So full of hate and contempt. Bleeding with derision. “People have free will, Jack.” He’d actually done it mocked father right to his face. “Unless they’re part of this family, right? Then we all just do what you say, when you say, how you say-“

  
“ENOUGH!” Nick didn’t even realize at first that it was his own voice cutting into the rant. He was startled by himself, fairly certain he’d never before even raised his voice. It didn’t feel good. “That’s enough, Jack.” He said sadly, voice back to its normal, level tone. “We all have to cooperate to make things work.” A tiny piece him felt something he never had before. He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying that this attitude was why the Christmas Spirit passed Jack up. That would be mean. Nick was never mean. “We have a higher calling. You were born into a family and given gifts to help our goals be achievable. And just like the Elves you are allowed to embrace your destiny and be part of the team or you can choose not to and depart when the veil lifts. We will find another Frost. The powers will move to someone else.” He felt cold all over as he spoke. He didn’t like to be this way but in this case it was warranted. He stuck to facts and gave Jack his options. That was all he could do. He kept his own ice blue eyes trained on the almost silver pair of his brother all he really wanted was to see his father’s face. To see if he had the man’s approval. But he couldn’t look away. 

  
“We’ll look whose jingle bells finally dropped. ‘Bout time little brother.” Jack gave a laugh that was anything but fun-loving. “Fine. I’ll fix it. Anything else...sir?” He was staring at Nick but Nick kept quiet. His father could answer this one. 

  
Santa cleared his throat, pulling his eldest son’s attention. “I trust we won’t have to have this discussion again?” 

  
“No, father.”

  
“Very good. You can go. Nick, please stay back.”

  
He only realized once Jack left that he was standing up. With a slight shake moving through his hands and legs he sat became down, staring at the floor a moment before looking at this father. “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

  
“You were not out of line. Nothing you said was false or unduly harsh.” Santa moved around the desk, putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Having the Spirit is hard. Anything not completely positive can make you feel...off. That doesn’t make it bad. You’ll learn to differentiate. Today though, I’m able to tell you that you did well.” 

  
Nick stood up, hugging his father tightly. “I hope you never retire.” He said with a laugh. 

  
The older man laughed, stroking his son’s hair. “There there. We’ve got time enough before we need to even think about that. You’ll be ready. We’ll both know when it’s time. Go eat some treats, take the rest of the day to yourself. Have some fun. You need it. It’ll help you shake that off feeling.”

  
With a nod, Nick let go of his dad, backing up. “I’m lucky that I have you. You had to do this all by yourself. I at least have a teacher.”

  
“That’s true but I got to make up all the rules myself. That part is pretty fun.” He laughed again, the soft, deep ho ho ho he was known for. Nick headed out, feeling a little better. “Oh and Nick? Please keep your boxers on at least? It was cute when you were little but it would be a bit uncomfortable for the Elves now.”

  
He laughed, lifting his arms in a gesture that indicated no promises before turning around and heading for the village. He’d visit a cafe, sugar load, and come out the other side rejuvenated. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still working hard at pounding out a chapter a night leading up to Christmas! Hopefully you're like me and love Christmas enough to keep reading after it's passed because honestly, I'm kind of loving this.


	4. September 5

**September 5: Wilmington, NC**

Avery stared at the app on her phone. _ **Your period is 7 days overdue!**_ She wasn’t sure why it was acting like this was a good thing. For the past couple of months she’d been occasionally shagging Blake the tattoo artist. She’d also accidentally slept with her boss at work. More than once so really it maybe wasn’t an accident. And she’d hooked up with someone else from the app. A soldier from Lejeune who was about to deploy. Jonathan. Yeah he was hot. Just thinking about him made her feel naughty. The problem was, somewhere along the line, sex had become like a drug for her. Granted, it was a lot safer than actual drugs and way cheaper, too. Well unless she was pregnant. That she could not afford but abortion? That was 100% off the table. 

  
Pregnancy tests weren’t the cheapest either and the thought of buying one made her nauseated. Or was she nauseated because she was pregnant? No she couldn’t think about that now. She had to get to work. She pulled on her clothes and frowned as she realized her pants were sliding off. God, she really had been losing weight. 

  
She went to the closet, searching for a belt. She knew she had a regular one in there somewhere. With a yelp she fell inside of the small area, arm somehow diving immediately under her pile of shoes. “Fucking stupid closet. Fuck this bullshit piece of shit apartment and all this stupid shit I own.” She muttered, letting anger take over for a moment. But then, as she went to stand, her fingers felt the belt, piled under the shoes. “Oh. Well...fuck you anyway closet.” Yes, she was getting indignant with a closet. This was apparently what she’d become. Standing up she tugged up her pants and then laced the belt through the loops. It helped a little. 

  
The walks to work in the heat of summer sucked but when fall came it was beautiful. The weather was nearly perfect, especially since she wasn’t in before dawn today. This was what she needed to do. Appreciate life. Focus on the positive. This needed to be her drug, not sex with men she didn’t have feelings for. Life. Happy thoughts. Stopping to smell the roses. Being grateful. She used to be that girl. All she had to do was find her again. 

**September 5: North Pole**

_Board Meeting September 5th._ Nick began to doodle in the margins of his paper. A candy cane here, a reindeer there. Drawing made him happy, even if he wasn’t the best at it. It kept him busy and he was creating things. Creation was perhaps the absolute best part about being the heir of Santa. At the North Pole almost everything they did boiled down to creating. Be it finding ways to be innovative in efficiencies, inventing new toys, coming up with ways to make cocoa, or just creating and spreading joy. Everything could be tied back to creation. Perhaps that was truly what the Spirit was.   
His reverie was broken when his father entered the room and Nick realized that at some point everyone had come in to the room he’d been alone in. He grabbed his cocoa and took a sip, ready to get started.

  
“It’s time to discuss the veil.” Santa noted, taking a seat as he hit a button that brought up a presentation. “The autumnal equinox is on September 22nd. Due to the increased energies, this is usually the best time to open the veil so we will be doing so. It will remain open until January 15th. This gives enough time to cover Epiphany on the 5th of January as well as Orthodox Christmas on the 7th and allows some time to spare for alternating people in and out. We have already received many applications from elves looking to rotate out and have been in touch with many looking to rotate in. These are being processed as quickly as possible and will be completed by September 15th. The deadline to submit a request will be September 10th. We will not, under any circumstance, consider any application received after that point. 

  
Additionally, while Star will be returning home before the veil closes again, Cane has requested a one year extension that we have decided to grant him. Additionally, during the time of the veil being open, Carol will be gone. Furthermore, I will be traveling as well to meet with her suitor. I will leave about a week after the opening and returning within a week. During that time, Nick will obviously be in charge. 

  
Bear in mind, no unauthorized travel is permitted. Day passes or short term passes can be issued but it is imperative that all travelers are authorized. Carol will be hosting a workshop on the 7th and again on the 9th to review proper protocols when traveling in the “real world” and anyone wishing to relocate or obtain a day pass must attend one of these sessions or have attended one within the last five veil openings. Remote attendance is allowed for those who are looking for a refresher but will not be accepted for those requiring it for approval.” He paused a moment, looking down at his notes. “Right. While Carol is gone, Nick will be the primary on the naughty and nice list but Joy will also be working in that area. Any questions?”

  
Joy, aka child number six, was another sibling that Nick really did like. There were times when it seemed as if she had some vestiges of Christmas Spirit herself. As if, had Nick not been born, it would have eventually chosen her as it’s new bearer. He didn’t mind that it was her that would be working with him. Heck, with the things Carol had shown him, he wasn’t upset about this posting at all. It would just be a bit tough when he was also being his dad. There was still something off about the naughty and nice list and he was determined to find a way to fix it. 

  
The rest of the meeting went fairly well and Nick had about an hour before he had to meet with his father and mother to go over the current applications for departure. It was a tough process but an important one. The elves were not slaves and they deserved the opportunity to opt out if they wanted to. Contrary to pop culture in the “real world” the elves weren’t tiny, nor did they all look like children. Yes they were generally on the “short” side of the spectrum but not ridiculously short. They also did have pointed ears but generally the pointedness wasn’t noticed by regular humans. The thing about humans was they had a wonderful ability to ignore things that didn’t make sense in those brains of theirs. Their minds would almost immediately make up stories to explain anything out of the ordinary. 

  
Elves could have rich full lives outside of the North Pole but most did choose to eventually return. Still, they were able to attend school, they could have families, either together or with humans. Most Elven women would return to birth their off-spring, the magic of the North Pole rendering them fully elven. The men didn’t have that option if they impregnated human women and so their children were usually born fully ordinary. Still some displayed extraordinary behaviors and those from the Pole knew these were children of elven blood. It was important that the Klaus’ family allowed the Elves to leave. They were not slaves, as Santa had told Jack. They deserved to have options and knowing they did made them better workers. It was win win.

  
It was imperative that they took the requests seriously, especially since all the transfers were close to Christmas. It was why the window stayed open after the end of the holiday for a week, so that most could work through the season and then go. Nick would make sure that he allowed as many as they could afford through the veil. If only he could go, too.

**September 5: Wilmington, NC**

The downfall of not being the opener was that you didn’t get that time without customers. She walked in to a line and had to grab her apron, clock in and get moving. Not her favorite way to start the day. At least she was making drinks and not on register. No need to talk to anyone. She let herself get lost in the rhythm of making drinks, something she actually really enjoyed doing. Hogan’s had these incredible “steampunk” inspired espresso machines that she just felt like a bad ass working with. Plus, she was a beast at latte art. Only Jake could come close to her talent there but he was one of those pretentious filmmaker types so she mostly pretended he didn’t exist. 

  
As the rush died down she set the last cup on the counter for one of their regulars she took a step back, body hitting something when she did. She heard Emily squeak and then immediately after a loud clatter. “Sorry, Avery! I should have told you I was behind you.”

  
“You think?” She snapped, immediately feeling badly for doing so. “No. Sorry it was my fault. I should have been paying attention.” She got down on all fours to help the other girl pick up the mess only to hear a throat clearing behind her.

  
Looking up she saw that same regular, some UNCW basketball player named Sam. “Sorry, you guys are out of sugar at the little...area.” His eyes were staring at something behind Avery and he seemed highly distracted. 

  
“Emily! Go check the condiment area and then finish cleaning this up. Avery, I need to see you in the office for a second.” Ellis Hogan rarely sounded mad but for some reason their boss and the shop owner seemed furious at that moment. Both Avery and Emily took a beat, giving each other WTF looks before each snapping to action. 

  
Ellis was an attractive man, which was why she’d accidentally slept with him. He was older than her, in his late 30s, but she was 24 so the over a decade of difference wasn’t gross. He was a volunteer firefighter who had gotten divorced earlier in the year. He had two kids, a daughter and a son, and overall he was a good guy. There was no real scandal around the divorce, he and his wife had married young and grew apart. Hell if he wasn’t her boss and she wasn’t opposed to dating he’d be a great prospect. She stepped into his office tentatively, not quite sure still what the issue was. “Close the door.” 

  
With a frown she turned and closed it, only to immediately feel his body pressed against hers. “Ellis.” She warned, as his hand slid against her ass. 

  
“Where’s my hand, Avery?” 

  
“It’s on my ass and you need to move it. We both agreed we can’t do this and this sure as fuck isn’t appropriate at work!” 

  
He let out a growl in her ear. “In a moment please, I’m making a point here.” Despite herself she was turned on. “My hand. Is it on your pants or on your skin?”

  
She was wet. She didn’t want to be wet. Hell she’d just resolved to stop and smell the roses instead of fuck her way to fake happiness and here she was, in her boss’s office, melting because he hand his hand cupping her bare ass. 

  
Her. 

  
Bare. 

  
Ass. 

  
“Fuck.” 

  
“Do you want me to stop?”

  
“No.” She whimpered, pressing back against his touch. 

  
“Do you want to tell me why you were on all fours with half your ass hanging out while some barely legal ball boy was cumming in his pants over you?” His hand squeezed in a way that felt way better than it should. Why hadn’t he moved it? Why wasn’t he giving her more?

  
Her breaths were coming fast now, anticipation kicking in. “I thought the belt would hold them up.” She heard him fall to his knees behind her, her own body still against the door. With an easy tug her pants fell to her ankles. 

  
“You thought wrong.” He leaned in, kissing her lower back. “God you’re so wet. I know we said we wouldn’t but Avery...we both want this. For Christ’s sake, you don’t even have panties on. You came to work without them. I think it’s because you wanted this to happen.” He stood up, turning her to him and urging her towards his desk. 

  
“I think I’m tired and my pants are too big is all that is really happening here.” Avery laughed, sitting on the desk and spreading her legs for him. “But if you don’t put your fingers in me I’m going to overheat.” 

  
He grinned in response, pushing two thick fingers inside of her. “Just my fingers?” He asked as he captured her mouth in a kiss.she didn’t answer, instead reaching to undo his pants. 

  
“This is the last time.” 

  
“Yeah, you keep saying that.” He slid into her, pressing in deep, filling her in an almost uncomfortable way. He was big and it took adjustment. He gave her a moment before he started pumping, mouth capturing hers to swallow her groans of pleasure. She was super turned on and the risqué nature of this liaison was enough to make her climax quickly. She came hard, feeling him tumble right after her down that rabbit hole. They held on to each other, panting. “Let me take care of you.” He breathed in her ear. “Your pants are too big because you aren’t taking care of yourself. Be with me. Let me take care of you.” 

  
For a moment she wanted to. He was nice. He was great in bed. But the issue was, they didn’t have affection for each other in the right way. He was attracted to how broken she was and she could never let someone make her their doll, take care of her. She had to be an equal. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Ellis. We have to stop this.” When he pulled out she noticed two things, first, he was t wearing a condom. Second, he had period blood all over himself. She grinned, any bit of hesitance she had to surrender to that life gone. “You may want to get tested if you’ve been doing this bareback because I’m fucking other people. Also I just bled all over your cock so I’m gonna go home for the day.” She slid her pants back on easily and headed straight out the door, not waiting for an answer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'm getting a bit too fond of cameos, what can I say? I know things got a bit uncomfortable there for a bit but I promise it was for a purpose and hope you're all willing to forgive me and keep reading!


	5. September 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As hard as I worked, I definitely couldn't get this finished by Christmas. That said, this is not the end. Hopefully, despite Christmas ending, I hope you'll keep reading because I am pretty proud of what I created and have gotten a bit attached to Avery and Nick. I am very excited for them to actually meet and hope you are as well.

**September 30: North Pole**

“Nick! We need you down in stuffed animals!” A voice rang out immediately as he headed stepped out of the elevator.

  
“No, we need him over in electronics!”

  
How was this possible. One day. His father had been gone one day and already he was being forced to put out one fire after another. Why? He’d tailed his father often and it wasn’t like this on a daily basis. So why were things going wrong? Was it the mere absence of his father and the magnitude of Santa’s spirit that was causing everything to go haywire? He blew out a frustrated breath. “Spriggan, please take stock of what’s going on in stuffed animals, I will head to electronics. We’ll go from there.” It seemed like the best idea because really what could be wrong with a bunch of stuffed animals? It turned out a lot. Electronics was a mess. For some reason, there was too much power going through everything, causing them to short circuit. He had no choice but to suspend production while they investigated what was happening. It was too dangerous otherwise. In stuffed animals the stuffing machine had gone haywire and the stuffing looked like snow, coating the entire production floor. Again, the only choice was to shut production down while they looked into it. This was not good.

  
He grabbed a peppermint mocha, taking a seat on one of the hallway benches. He just needed a moment, some sugar, then he’d be good. He just needed to close his eyes for only a moment. “Nick?” The tone was enough to tell him something else was wrong. One eye cracked open, seeing his sister, Joy, standing there. “We have a serious problem with the naughty and nice list. I really need you to come take a look at it.” He let his eyes close again, even as he nodded. “Right. Yeah of course.” He felt her take his hands, pulling him up to his feet. “We can hide you in the office for a bit, okay?” He nodded, forcing his eyes open and grabbing his drink before heading with her towards the list office. 

  
“So what is the issue?” He asked her, sitting down in one of the chairs and closing his eyes to let the fire warm him. He shouldn’t have closed his eyes. He sighed and opened them again, taking a long drink, letting the sugar and caffeine warm him and bring him energy. 

  
Joy hit a button, projecting on a screen in front of the fire. “It’s over 50% of the population now. 50.43% of people are now considered naughty. It’s never been that high and traditionally the number of naughty kids goes down as the season starts. This is bad, Nick and it is highly irregular.”

  
“Alright, we’ll get to the bottom of it all. Let’s take a look at the list on the screen for now.” He was handed the controller and began to scroll. Name after name in front of him but with all of them one name popped out. Avery O’Connor. It seemed to be highlighted in gold, shining where all the other names were flat. Avery O’Connor. Even as he started to look at the rule set, all he could think of was that name.

**September 30: Wilmington, NC**

Sometimes it seemed that the only safe place to let go was her car. It was where Avery currently sat, tears running down her face. Things were not going well for her grandmother. There had been a fall and the recovery was long and difficult. Not to mention expensive. She was doing her best but she was doing it alone. It wasn’t fair. She deserved something good. She deserved something easy. As hard as it was having her grandmother be sick, she had no idea what she’d do when she was gone. She didn’t know what to do. It was that helplessness that was eating her alive. 

  
Tonight, she would go out. Put on something cute, dance, drink, anything to avoid sitting there and having nothing to do but stew and feel sorry for herself. She started her car, pushing thoughts of just how weak and small her grandmother looked out of her head. They’d make it through this. Somehow she’d get better and everything would be fine.   
She glanced at the clock once she got home, deciding she had enough time to eat and shower before needing to head out. She planned to get to the club about when all the college students would be there. She wanted it to be paced with bodies so she was just a faceless no one in a crowd. Plus, it increased the likelihood of finding someone to pay for her drinks. Drinking was always best when someone else was footing the bill. 

  
The shower helped and, while it was her second place to cry, she managed to hold it together. She wanted to go all out tonight, anything to get her mind off of everything wrong. She wrestled her flat iron and blow dryer, styling her thick auburn hair into a straight but body-filled look. She heavily lined her grey eyes, going for a dark, smoky look. She believed that her eyes were her best feature and leaned towards looks that would accentuate them. Makeup, she loved makeup. It was a whole different side of art. It could highlight, conceal, transform, create…whatever one wanted. She pulled on dress, a deep silver that shimmered just a bit and had a drop neck that showed off the little bit of cleavage she seemed to have left. She was going to have to figure out how to put on weight. She slid on a pair of boots, adding inches to her short figure. Being 5’1” (if you rounded up at least) she could use the help. 

  
She thought about driving but decided it was best to just suck it up and call an Uber. She’d do some extra work tomorrow to make up for it. There came a point when everything was so helpless that you just sort of stopped giving a fuck. She was fast approaching that line. The Uber definitely meant finding someone to buy her drinks though.   
The club was pounding out a pulsing EDM beat as she walked in. She could feel it almost immediately, the way the music could get your heart racing. How it could drive you to the feeling the DJ wanted. It was pretty magical. She flashed her ID at the doorman, watching him take a moment, as if not believing she was 21, much less 24 but he let her in anyway. Everyone told her that one day she’d be happy to look so young. She’d wait and see if that were true.

  
Avery approached the bar, leaning against it and trying to look bored. Phase one to getting someone to buy you a drink. She moved just a bit to the beat of the music, wanting to draw just enough attention. And then there it was. “Miss?” The bartender slid a drink her way. “This is for you.” Avery flashed a smile, turning to examine the beverage, giving it a sniff. Vodka cranberry. Good choice. “May I have a lime? Also who is it from?”

  
She squeezed the lime into her drink as the bartender gestured down the bar. “It’s from her.” 

  
Her? Well that was new. She followed where he gestured, eyes on a girl who reminded her a lot of Snow White. Black hair, blue eyes, red lips. But a dominatrix style Snow White. She raised her glass to the girl, deciding to treat this exactly how she would a man who had bought her a drink. As expected, the girl walked over. “Hey there. I’m Eveline.”  
“Avery. Nice to meet you. Thank you for the drink.” 

  
“I recognized the “buy me a drink” stance and figured it was worth a shot. Are you from around here?” 

  
Avery had to laugh at that. “So you’ve done your share huh? Look, drinks cost money. I enjoy when other people buy them for me.” She admitted. “But yes, I grew up in Wilmington. What about you?” 

  
“Nice. It’s pretty here. I like it.” The girl noted, and Avery was aware she hadn’t answered her question. “So, how many jobs are you working?”

  
“What?”

  
“Sorry just…” Eveline paused. “I think I’ve been where you are now. Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I think you need that more than alcohol.” 

  
It felt very strange, having someone just be so matter-of-fact about things with her. “Um…okay.” And she found herself following the girl out of the club.

**September 30: North Pole**

Avery O’Connor. Hours later it was still swimming in Nick’s head. He should be asleep, he had to catch his opportunities for it when he could. How many times today had he almost fallen asleep at very inopportune moments? It wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all. Here he was, finally able to rest and he couldn’t sleep. Sugarplums.

There was only one option available. He grabbed his robe, tied it on, and then headed down towards the basement of the workshop, the headquarters of North Pole Security.  
As he entered the control room it took a moment for the working elves to realize who was there. “Sir!” Nox hopped up, saluting immediately, as did the rest of the elves. “Can we help you with something, sir?”

  
Nick cleared his throat. “Um, at ease?” He tried, feeling like a total fraud even trying to tell them what to do. Clearly though, they required his direction because that was what they were trained for. “But yes, I would like your help. I need you to do some uh…recon?” That was a good military sounding word right? “Yeah some recon on a human. Avery O’Connor.”

  
“Sounds like a job for Rosemary.” Nox nodded towards a serious looking female elf in the corner. “She’ll be happy to help you."

  
Nick took a seat, offering an awkward smile at the woman. “Hi, I need-”

  
“I heard. Avery O’Connor. Male or female? Where from? Age? What do you have besides a name?”

  
The silver haired boy blinked a few times. So many questions. “I…don’t know? It’s a name of a person who is on the naughty list.” 

  
The sigh was a loud one, full of disappointment at him and his lack of information. “I’ve found 92 Avery O’Connor’s. You’ve got to help me narrow this down.” 

  
How was he supposed to do that? He looked at the list, eyes scrolling until he saw one that had that same golden shine. “This one. Female. 24. Wilmington, NC. I need more about her. Send what you have to my tablet please.” 

  
“You…don’t want me to go over it with you?” 

  
In theory it made perfect sense for that to be what he should do, but he just had this feeling that he had to do it alone. He knew better than to argue against a feeling. Feelings were extremely reliable, especially when one was imbued with Christmas Spirit. “Nope, just send it up to me, thank you!” Nick stood up, suddenly full of energy. He headed back to the family residences to his apartment. When he got there he grabbed some snacks and then threw off his robe before climbing on the couch. He grabbed his tablet and pulled up the information that Rosemary sent to him.

  
He spent some time reading up on Avery O’Connor. Orphan, or suspected to be one. Barista, studied art in college but never finished. Grandmother in a nursing home. Nothing that told him why she was considered naughty. A list of websites she visited seemed to reveal she did a lot of work online too, not just her job at the store. Interesting. So why was she naughty? 

  
Nick tapped a finger on his bottom lip. None of this was making sense. Perhaps that’s why he was so stuck on her name. He moved to the next page, a list of phone apps. “Boring, boring.” He muttered until one stood out to him. Lovelink? That gave him an idea. 

  
He hit a button on his tablet that connected him to Spriggan. “I need you to send me someone from tech please.” 

  
“Nick, I’m not questioning you but it’s very late. You should be sleeping.” There was an unspoken tone of _I was sleeping_ in his voice.

  
Nick sighed. “I know but this is extremely important. Please just send someone.” 

  
It took a moment before he even bothered to answer. “Will do.” 

  
Nick knew a dismissal when he heard one. And it was late, so he set down the tablet and waited for the person from tech. When he heard the door he jumped up, running to answer it. “Hello! Come in! I need help.” The elf stared at him and it was then he realized that he hadn’t put his robe back on. Oh well, at least he had boxers on. “Sorry. I’ll…” he ran back to the couch and grabbed his robe. “So what I need is for you to put an app on my phone and help me use it so it’ll give me matches in a specific area that’s really far from here.” He handed over his phone, showing him what it was he needed on the tablet.

  
It took…awhile and though Nick stared eagerly initially, eventually he dozed off while the tech elf convinced his phone he was in North Carolina. And then he was nudged awake. “It’s ready. I found the profile you wanted.” 

  
He took the phone, nodding. “I…thank you. I would like to do this part alone.” He stared at the picture, immediately drawn in by a pair of deep gray eyes outlined in black kohl. How could this girl be on the naughty list? There was something about her that seemed so genuine. So real. The picture was simple. She just wore a t-shirt and jeans, as if she wasn’t trying to lie about who she was. The profile was also straight forward. _I make coffee, I think I’m a nice person. If you’re bored, hmu._ “HMU?” He pulled out his tablet to look that acronym up. “Hit me up…” With a deep breath, he pushed the heart button.

**September 30: Wilmington, NC**

When you’re hungry you try to tell yourself that what you have is enough. It works until someone presents you with food. Sitting at the diner, Avery found herself practically shoveling food into her mouth. How long had it been since she ate actual protein? Mostly she just ate ramen or other noodles. Cereal. But a real burger? God, she was in heaven. 

  
“I don’t want to insult you but…you need money right?” Eveline apparently had decided to cut to the chase. “Sorry, but I’ve been there before. And now I have enough to buy girls drinks and dinner even though they probably aren’t into women. I’m a cam girl. You should think about trying it.”

  
Sex work. Avery blinked, really unsure of how to even respond to that. “Um. I…don’t know if that’s for me.”

  
Eveline shrugged, not at all put off by the clear judgment in Avery’s eyes. “I get that. I really do. And I promise you I’m just trying to help here, not push you into something uncomfortable. Honestly, you can get paid just for doing jumping jacks in lingerie. You don’t even have to get naked. Again, no pressure, I just was paying it forward. Someone helped me this way so I figured why not.” 

  
Being a cam girl was not anything she’d even thought about. How would someone even get started with that? 

  
“I’ll help you.” Eveline replied, at which point Avery realized she’d spoken her question aloud. “Look, I just…I’ve been there and I want to help. So come by my place. I’ve got an old webcam, I can show you what I do and how I make money and you can see if it’s something you’d be interested in. Deal?”

  
Avery took another sip of her milkshake and then nodded. “Can’t hurt to learn a little more about it.” She admitted. “I wouldn’t have to show my face right?”

  
“Definitely not. Masks are a very common thing in this line of work. I have one that would look great on you. You want anything else or we good?”

  
Her plate was completely empty and she knew if she ate anything else she’d be sick. “Thank you. For all of this.” She watched Eveline toss some bills on the table and then stand up. She followed her out of the diner, still not sure if any of this was a good idea but deciding she really had no better options. 

  
As she headed into Eveline’s apartment she felt her phone vibrate. _Someone has a crush on you!_ came the notification from Lovelink. Avery just shook her head, shoving it back in her bag.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, more to come very soon! Please review/subscribe/give kudos/whatever!


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